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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

by: Otis Turner

Publication date: 1910

Usage: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0

Topics: Wizard of Oz, 1910, L Frank Baum, Silent

Publisher: Selig Polyscope Company

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910) is the earliest surviving film version of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel, made by the Selig Polyscope Company without Baum's direct input. It was created to fulfill a contractual obligation associated with Baum's personal bankruptcy caused by The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays, from which it was once thought to have been derived. It was partly based on the 1902 stage musical, though much of the film deals with the Wicked Witch of the West, who does not appear in the musical.

Credits

Directed by
Otis Turner

Writers
L. Frank Baum
Otis Turner

Cast
Bebe Daniels...Dorothy Gale
Hobart Bosworth...Wizard of Oz and King
Eugenie Besserer...Aunt Em
Robert Z. Leonard...Scarecrow
Winifred Greenwood...Momba
Lillian Leighton...Union Enforcer
Olive Cox...Glinda the Good
Alvin Wyckoff
Marcia Moore

Produced by
William Nicholas Selig

Contact Information: http://video-cellar.blogspot.com/

Addeddate: 2008-08-27 10:53:46

Closed captioning: no

Color: Black and White

Director: Otis Turner

Identifier: The_Wonderful_Wizard_of_Oz

Run time: 13:22

Sound: Silent

Year: 1910

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Reviews

Reviewer: fixitmanarizona - - August 11, 2020
Subject: Oh, yes

Aperture102 What are you, 8 years old? Maybe mommy and daddy should put you in school, so you can learn to spell, and maybe learn some manners as well.
Otherwise, I had forgotten this existed! Amazing for its day. Realize this was 110 years ago when films were in their infancy...

Reviewer: Aperture102 - - September 14, 2018
Subject: sick dances

really good. i liked the dances. they were good but they copied fortnite dance. try to be more origianal next time.
two stars were deduckted from my rating for IP theft.
my papa was very mad when he found out that you stole his dances he is ceo of fortnite and is filing a lawsuite right.... NOW. hes MAD.
see you IN CORT.!:(

Reviewer: judeblack, bbc - - May 14, 2015
Subject: Thank you!

Thank you for posting this movie. It truly is a Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The Scarecrow steals every scene he's in, which should have been more difficult with the great cast of characters. Charming and enjoyable both times.

Reviewer: Kentworth - - October 5, 2014
Subject: Worth the watch

This is amazing video quality, considering.

Not to be compared to the later version, nor the book, but in 1910 this had to be a real treat. It's a treat to watch it 104 years later, although for different reasons. Take the time to watch it.

Reviewer: indianacarnie - - October 3, 2014
Subject: Cute

Could have done without the dig at unions at the end but overall a cute and very watchable little film. Loved the rudimentary "special effects", the scene with the tornado......... lol. Well worth the 13 minutes it takes to watch. Print decent without much unevenness as in some other films of this age.

Reviewer: floridacracker8188 - - September 26, 2014
Subject: Wonderful

This is great find. I just love to watch the film industry in its very beginings. Imagine the children(and adults) being amazed at the flying people. we laugh now, but this at one time was groundbreaking. Thanks for the internet archives, Ive enjoyed hours of watching old films. Donate today.

Reviewer: rclo - - June 20, 2011
Subject: Silent better than sound

The story is so familiar to everyone that even this version is no too difficult to follow. The most fascinating character is the trippy lion. I found myself watching him in every scene in which he appeared.

The totally silent version is much clearer than the soundtrack version.

Worth watching.

Reviewer: bobdylansdead - - January 26, 2011
Subject: What???

Is it just me or is this the most terrifying interpretations of L. Frank Baum's book ever?

The faces on the trees were certainly eerie, but I think the scariest part was how the animal characters were only halfway anthropomorphised and the costumes they were wearing were also pretty creepy.

I realize this was done in 1910, and actually, I thoroughly enjoyed this version of the story.

Reviewer: babe917 - - January 12, 2010
Subject: cute classic :)

ive seen a few other silent OZ movies but not this 1! i liked it alot, it was a cute short!

oh btw the scene with the faces on the trees were eerie lol ! but cool don't get me wrong :)

Reviewer: nigeldavahah - - January 11, 2010
Subject: nice;)

nice;) OZ everyone has on pointed hats LOL

Reviewer: Onimusha - - August 30, 2008
Subject: Excellent early Oz

It may be a little fuzzy around the edges but I thought it was excellent. I will be watching it again soon.

Reviewer: Classic_TV_and_Radio_Fan - - August 27, 2008
Subject: Primitive but Charming

Ok, so nobody will mistake this for being a "silent classic", and it seems unlikely that anyone would call it the best version of the story, but this is still a fairly entertaining and charming silent short, produced in 1910. The special effects are good for the time, although just 10 years later they would be vastly out of date. Still, it's worth seeing, and at 13 or so minutes, it moves along quite quickly.

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